Neurodivergent Strife to Success with Dave Thompson

​Join us for a candid conversation with Dave Thompson—strategist, author, and internationally recognized speaker—focused on how neurodivergent lived experience can shape meaningful systems change.

​Dave will share his personal journey growing up as an early-identified ADHDer and dyslexic thinker, including his time in special education classrooms and formative moments that shaped how he understood learning, identity, and self-worth. These early experiences will set the stage for a broader discussion on what it means to navigate systems that weren’t designed for the full range of human cognition.

​The conversation will then explore how Dave later transformed these challenges into clarity and purpose—learning how to build supports around his strengths and using that insight to help others do the same. Now a Program Manager and Visiting Scholar at Vanderbilt University’s Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, Dave works across research, education, and industry to redesign how talent is recognized and supported.

​We’ll close by touching on Dave’s forthcoming book, Brainstorm: Neurodivergent Talent and the Future of Work, and how he brought lived experience and systems thinking together to imagine a more inclusive future of work.

​What to Expect:

• ​A personal reflection on growing up neurodivergent

• ​Insight into ADHD, dyslexia, and strength-based supports

• ​Lessons on redesigning work to meet diverse cognitive styles

• ​A forward-looking conversation on impact and possibility

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